Unison slams FSA in agency payment row

Following a protest in London on Friday (April 13), Unison has further hit out at the FSA for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of £500,000 in unpaid wages, due to be paid by formerly FSA-employed agency Grants Veterinary Services (GVS).

More than 100 GVS agency workers, who also included vets, had gone without pay since carrying out work on behalf of the FSA, Unison claimed.

The pay was due at the end of March but GVS has subsequently gone into administration.

But, despite the workers now having received the money from newly-contracted agency Eville and Jones, the union has urged the FSA to track down the original money and save the firm the expense.

Workers’ futures​

Unison is concerned that the cost of Eville and Jones covering GVS’s unpaid bill could jeopardise the workers’ futures.

A spokeswoman told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “We welcome that Eville and Jones has agreed to honour the contracts. This behaviour is in stark contrast to the previous holders, GVS.​

“We want the FSA to take responsibility for the situation and pay our members but they have yet to clear that up. Where did the original money go?  We want them to track that down and pay the workers.”​

She also described the unpaid wages as “a huge amount of money​” and stressed that the current situation left the workers’ terms and conditions at risk.

The FSA confirmed that GVS had gone into administration but told FoodManufacture.co.uk that it could not reveal any more information as a result of “legal issues”.​

No longer retained​

But speaking last week, a spokeswoman for the FSA, said: “The FSA is aware that the staff, formerly employed by Grants Veterinary Services, have not been paid by their former employer, who is no longer retained as a contractor by the FSA.​

“We have had a number of discussions with their new employer who has undertaken to pay the outstanding salaries, and we believe payments have now been made​.”

Following this statement, Unison members led a protest outside the FSA headquarters in London in a bid to recover the original payment.

Speaking at the time, Simon Watson, Unite regional officer, said: “The FSA needs to recognise this commitment, and do the right thing by getting a grip of this situation.​

“The agency were warned about the perilous state of the original contractor but refused to take the warnings seriously. Now the vets and their families are paying the price. Unison will hold both the FSA and Grants to account over the missing money​.”